Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Manufacturing Industries: Staff

lord jones: Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number ofworkers employedin the UK in(1) the aerospace industry, and(2) the motor industry.

lord prior of brampton: Based on data from the Office for National Statistics in 2016, the Aerospace industry, covering the manufacture, maintenance and repair of aircraft, directly accounted for 120,000 jobs. Automotive Manufacturing accounted for 159,000 jobs and separately recorded, the Wholesale, Retail and Repair of Motor Vehicles accounted for 634,000 jobs. These figures cover direct employment only excluding indirect jobs that these industries may support in other sectors of the economy, through their supply chains.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

South Sudan: Press Freedom

the earl of sandwich: Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of South Sudan concerning that government's decision to block Radio Tamazuj and Sudan Tribune.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Freedom of expression has an essential role to play in the establishment of peace and stability in South Sudan. We are concerned that the block on Radio Tamazuj and the Sudan Tribune remains.The UK Government condemns the closing of political space and the clamping down on freedom of expression and access to information, which appears to be worsening in South Sudan. We raised our concern over the block on Radio Tamazuj and the Sudan Tribune on 20 July in a statement to the UN Security Council. We have also raised our concerns over the government's actions through two recent joint statements with international partners. We will continue to lobby the government to allow local and international journalists in South Sudan to report without fear of retribution.

South Sudan: Crimes against Humanity

the earl of sandwich: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress made on the establishment of the Hybrid Court in South Sudan; whether they have discussed that issue with the African Union; and if so, when and with what result.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan mandated the creation of an African Union led Hybrid Court for the prosecution of the most serious crimes in South Sudan.The UK has called for the Hybrid Court to be established without delay. We continue to urge the African Union to accelerate its implementation, and most recently raised the issue with the African Union High Representative for South Sudan, during a meeting with the Troika (the UK, US and Norway) in June. We also urge the Government of South Sudan to work with the African Union towards its speedy implementation.We have jointly led a resolution at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, which extended the mandate of the South Sudan Human Rights Commission to gather evidence for eventual use in a court of law.

South Sudan: Assets

the earl of sandwich: Her Majesty's Government what steps are being taken by (1) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and (2) HMRC, to ensure that financial assets held abroad by South Sudanese leaders are subject to appropriate UK and international scrutiny.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK took a leading role in securing a UN sanctions regime in 2015 for individuals who pose a threat to peace and stability in South Sudan. We strongly support the sanctioning of individuals where we judge that this can help change behaviour.We regret that in December 2016 there were not enough votes in the UN Security Council to implement an arms embargo, or designate additional sanctions on key individuals. We will continue to lobby for UN action.In the meantime, we are working with our EU partners to extend the current EU sanctions regime to include more individuals. We continue to support additional targeted sanctions and an arms embargo.

Ministry of Justice

Rape: Convictions

lord campbell-savours: Her Majesty's Government how many persons have been convicted of rape in each of the last five years.

lord campbell-savours: Her Majesty's Government how many persons have been convicted of a sexual offence other than rape in each of the last five years.

lord keen of elie: The number of offenders found guilty of sexual offences, broken down to those found guilty of rape and of other sexual offences, in England and Wales, from 2012 to 2016 can be viewed in the table below. Offenders found guilty at all courts of sexual offences, England and Wales, 2012 to 2016 (1)(2)  Offence20122013201420152016  All5,7285,6656,2516,8857,511of which Rape1,1451,1211,1641,2971,352Others4,5834,5445,0875,5886,159  (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Convention on Choice of Court Agreements

baroness hayter of kentish town: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to become a signatory to the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements.

baroness hayter of kentish town: Her Majesty's Government whether they will make a public statementon whether they intend tobecome a signatory tothe Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

lord keen of elie: The UK is currently bound by the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements (2005) by virtue of our membership of the EU. The Government recognises the importance of certainty in civil justice matters, and we are considering carefully the range of international agreements on civil judicial cooperation.

Civil Proceedings: Cross Border Cooperation

baroness hayter of kentish town: Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish further details about their proposals for future co-operation on civil justice matters with the EU.

lord keen of elie: As the Government’s White Paper makes clear, civil judicial cooperation is an important issue, which underpins the resolution of cross-border disputes in the fields of civil and commercial, and family, law; supports the attractiveness of UK laws and UK courts; and contributes to the UK legal and financial services economies. The UK intends to keep working with others, including stakeholders, in order to ensure a smooth implementation of future arrangements.

Department for Work and Pensions

Poverty

lord bird: Her Majesty's Government how they define, monitor and assess (1) poverty, and (2) the root causes of poverty, in the UK.

baroness buscombe: This Government is committed to an approach that tackles the root causes of poverty and disadvantage. Through Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, published on 4 April, it published its evidence and analysis on the root causes of disadvantage and the impact they can have on children’s lives. It also set out nine national indicators and underlying measures to track progress in tackling these disadvantages and to drive continued action on improving outcomes for disadvantaged children and families, now and in the future.The most commonly used measure of poverty is ‘relative low-income’. Estimates on the number and proportion of people in low income are published annually in the ‘Households Below Average Income’ series. It measures how the incomes of one group compare to median incomes in the UK, with those incomes below 60 per cent of the median classified as being in relative low-income.For more details on the definitions of low income please see the latest Households Below Average Income report attached.



HBAI Report
(PDF Document, 815.57 KB)

Social Security Benefits: EEA Nationals

lord hain: Her Majesty's Government what evidencethey have, if any,that EEA migrants come to the UKfor thespecific purpose of claimingbenefits.

baroness buscombe: While the Government checks the immigration status of benefit claimants to ensure the benefit is paid properly and to prevent fraud, the Department does not collect information of an individual’s specific purpose for coming to the UK and so this information is not available.

Social Security Benefits: EEA Nationals

lord hain: Her Majesty's Government how many EEA migrants who have had benefit applications refused have brought a claim to the Social Entitlement Chamber Tribunal in each ofthe last five years.

baroness buscombe: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Labelling

lord kennedy of southwark: Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the food industry through better food labelling (1) before, and (2) after, the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government is fully committed to promoting UK food and drink. The UK led calls for mandatory country of origin labelling on fresh meats and has also argued, within the EU, for country of origin labelling on lightly processed foods, such as some dairy products.We are considering how to build on existing approaches to help consumers better identify high-quality British food as we leave the EU.

Food Poverty

lord kennedy of southwark: Her Majesty's Government whether they are planningtohold discussionswith the governments of (1) the Republic of Ireland, (2) Canada, and (3) the United States, with a view to (a) learning lessons for, and (b) seeking improvements in, the UK's processes for monitoring levels of food insecurity.

lord gardiner of kimble: We have no immediate plans to discuss processes for monitoring levels of food insecurity with Republic of Ireland, Canada and the United States. However, the UK Government through the Department for International Development contributes to and supports financially the work of The Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). FIES was developed by the ‘Voices of the Hungry’ project of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and is used to collect data on household food security in up to 150 countries, including the UK, Republic of Ireland, Canada and the United States. The UK is also an active participant in the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) platform established by the G20. AMIS focuses on enhancing global market transparency and improving policy coordination to help prevent unexpected price spikes and thereby strengthen global food security. The Living Costs and Food Survey, which informs the UK Family Food publication, includes questions on household spend on food, including that of the lowest 20 per cent income households.

Plastics: Recycling

baroness redfern: Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) reduce waste going to landfill, and (2)increase recycling of plastic cups and bottles.

lord gardiner of kimble: As a country we are moving away from landfill to more environmentally beneficial and higher value uses for waste. We are making good progress with diverting waste from landfill with the amount of local authority waste in England going to landfill falling by over 70% between 2000/01 and 2015/16. Landfill tax is the main driver in diverting residual waste from landfill and is currently £86.10 per tonne.Defra is also investing £3 billion in a number of local authority projects through Waste Infrastructure Grants. This is contributing towards the reduction of waste sent to landfill, promoting renewable energy, recycling and stimulating growth.England has already achieved a lot in the area of recycling, increasing household recycling from 11% in 2000 to 44% in 2015.In September 2016, the Waste and Resources Action Programme and an industry advisory group published a framework for greater consistency, encouraging councils to recycle a common set of materials, as well as setting out actions to rationalise packaging, particularly plastics, into items that can be collected for recycling while supporting innovation in packaging design.Current Packaging policies and regulations have resulted in recycling of packaging rising from around 46% in 2005 to 60% in 2015. We have also announced our intention to increase obligated businesses’ packaging recycling targets to over 75% by 2020. As part of this, we have made great progress in boosting recycling rates for plastic bottles. Their collection for recycling has increased dramatically, from less than 13,000 tonnes in 2000 to over 330,000 tonnes in 2015, and almost all local councils now collect plastic bottles as part of their general waste collection services.As part of the Litter Strategy for England, published on 10 April, we have established a working group to look at different voluntary and economic incentives to improve recycling and reuse of packaging, and to reduce the incidence of commonly littered items. The working group’s first investigation will consider voluntary models or regulatory options and measures to target drinks containers, including plastic bottles.

Plastics: Recycling

baroness redfern: Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with business regarding incentivesto reduce the use of non-recyclable plastic bottles and cups; and what, if any, such incentives theyare planningto introduce.

baroness redfern: Her Majesty's Government what incentivesthey are puttingin place in conjunction with manufacturers to deliver wholly recyclable plastic bottles and cups.

lord gardiner of kimble: Plastic bottles and plastic cups are usually recyclable. More than 45 packaging companies and retailers are working together through the Paper Cup Manifesto to significantly increase paper cup recycling by 2020. As part of our Litter Strategy we have established a working group to look at potential voluntary and regulatory measures to reduce litter and improve recycling behaviour by consumers. This working group is looking at drinks containers.

Dogs: Imports

baroness redfern: Her Majesty's Government what enforcement and controls they have put in place on the import of puppies.

lord gardiner of kimble: Dogs must be over 15 weeks of age to be imported into the United Kingdom. Those imported from EU Member States are required to have an Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate (ITAHC) and valid pet passport. These documents confirm their health preparation and, along with a microchip, the animals’ identity. Dogs being imported into the UK must have an examination prior to embarkation from an Official Veterinarian (OV). The OV confirms it meets the import requirements of the UK and issues an ITAHC.Dogs imported from non-EU countries go through a similar process. The health preparation requirements and certification, however, differ according to the disease status of the country of origin.The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carry out risk-based checks on dogs that have been imported into Great Britain. During these checks, APHA ensures that these dogs meet the import requirements. Local authorities are responsible for taking enforcement action when dogs are not compliant with the import rules. Should APHA checks identify that a dog has been imported, but is not compliant with the import rules, the relevant local authority will be informed.Dogs and puppies moving into the country with their owners must meet the requirements of the pet travel scheme, meaning that they must be accompanied by a pet passport or certificate confirming that they have undergone adequate health preparation to enable them to enter the UK safely.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Insulation: Fire Prevention

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: Her Majesty's Government whether they will begin discussions with local authorities on how those authoritiesshouldreplace any insulation material deemed unsafe with new materialthatmeets both safety and energy conservation standards.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Immediately after the Grenfell Tower fire, the Government convened a meeting of independent experts, who advised that the immediate priority was a testing programme on Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding on high-rise residential buildings, which is one element of a wall cladding system. Following further advice from the Independent Expert Advisory Panel, the Government has now commissioned the Building Research Establishment to test different wall cladding systems using three common types of ACM panelling with two commonly used types of insulation. The results will provide further evidence of how some commonly used wall systems using ACM perform in a fire. This evidence will be used to produce further advice to inform building owners’ decisions on whether they need to take any additional action to make their building safe.If owners decide, on the basis of professional advice and in light of further tests results, to remove their cladding and / or insulation, then this needs to be properly planned. In these instances it is even more important that building owners implement the interim measures on fire safety that have been set out by the Department on 22 June 2017 to help ensure the safety of residents during that period.The Government’s expectation is that landlords will fund measures designed to make a building fire safe, and will draw on their existing resources to do so. Where a local authority has concerns about funding essential fire safety measures, they should approach us as soon as possible to discuss the position. Where works have been advised by local fire services to be essential to ensure the fire safety of a building, we will ensure that current restrictions on the use of financial resources will not prevent them going ahead. This does not include general improvements or enhancements to buildings which go beyond this.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

viscount waverley: Her Majesty's Government, with regard tothe rights of citizens being negotiated with the EU-27, whatprogress has been made to date; what are their negotiating red lines; and whenthey anticipatethat those negotiations will conclude.

baroness anelay of st johns: The Citizens’ Rights Working Group completed a technical note that maps the alignment between the EU and UK positions, to prioritise future discussions. It can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-technical-note-on-the-comparison-of-eu-uk-positions-on-citizens-rights.There is much common ground between the UK’s and the EU’s positions on citizens’ rights. We are both clear that we want to protect the broad range of rights and entitlements currently enjoyed by both EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU. However, there are, naturally, points on which our positions differ.We are making a fair and serious offer, and want to reach a reciprocal agreement as quickly as possible. 



EU-UK joint technical note on citizens' rights
(PDF Document, 217.39 KB)

Department for International Trade

Service Industries: Overseas Trade

baroness neville-rolfe: Her Majesty's Government which aspects of the UK's trade in services with non-EU countries are (1) covered by WTO agreements, and (2) not covered by WTO agreements.

lord price: (1) There are 135 non-EU WTO members. The UK’s trade in services with WTO members is covered by the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). On joining GATS, each WTO Member makes its own specific commitments to providing services market access and non-discriminatory treatment. These commitments are made sector-by-sector. Additionally, eighteen non-EU WTO members have made commitments under the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) on best-practice procurement procedures and non-discrimination.(2) GATS does not cover services supplied in the exercise of governmental authority nor services directly related to air transport rights. Both GATS and GPA contain exceptions, for example relating to protection of life or to international emergencies.

Manufacturing Industries: Exports

lord jones: Her Majesty's Government what is the value of exports from the UK that is accounted for by (1) the areospace industry, and (2) the motor industry.

lord price: In 2016, the value of UK goods exported by the aerospace industry (CPA category 30.3) was £29.6 billion and by the motor industry (CPA category 29) was £40.1 billion. Data on services exported by the aerospace and motor industries are not available. Source: ONS UK trade in goods by classification of product by activity (CPA), published 14 June 2017.